Instead, they asked staff members to research the aquatic weed problem, determine how to coordinate efforts with the state, and return with a plan in six months.

''We just need a comprehensive plan,'' said County Commission Chairman Charles Owen. ''It's kind of a hodgepodge right now.''

Commissioners also directed staff to come up with a way to pay for aquatic weed control without putting all the burden on boaters. One idea suggested Monday was a boat ramp tax that would make boaters who come from other counties share the maintenance cost of the lakes.

Commissioners had decided earlier this year to impose the fees to fight aquatic weeds, namely hydrilla.

But the wording in the ordinance allowed commissioners to use the money ''for the patrol, regulation and maintenance of the lakes, rivers and waters.''

That ambiguous language concerned many boaters who feared commissioners eventually would use the money for a variety of other lake-related items.

In fact, one commissioner, Chuck Dunnick, admitted he would spend the money on channel markers, no-wake signs and lights, although fighting hydrilla was his primary goal.

The increase would have raised an additional $40,000 a year and the Tax Collector's Office would have begun collecting the new fees June 1.

The increased fees also would have included a state-mandated $1 per registration fee for the Save the Manatee Trust Fund.

Said Owen: ''That ($40,000) won't buy 10 barrels of the chemical to fight hydrilla. We have to come up with a way to deal with this comprehensively.''